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A traction engine is a wheeled steam engine used to move heavy loads, plough ground or to provide power at a chosen location. The name derives from the Latin tractus, meaning 'drawn', since the prime function of any traction engine is to draw a load behind it. They are also known as "Road locomotives" to distinguish them from (railway) steam locomotives - ie steam engines that run on rails. A steam engine is an external combustion heat engine that makes use of the thermal energy that exists in steam, converting it to mechanical work. ...
Scheme of steam locomotive. ...
Traction engines tend to be large, extremely heavy, slow, and poorly manoeuvrable. Nevertheless, they revolutionised agriculture and road haulage at a time when the only alternative prime mover was the cart horse.
 The traction engine "Evedon Lad" at Stoke Goldington The machines typically have two large powered wheels at the back and two smaller wheels for steering at the front. They became popular in industrialised countries from around 1840, when the farm machinery company Ransomes of Ipswich developed a portable steam engine for agricultural use. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (955x620, 61 KB)The traction engine Evedon Lad at Stoke Goldington in May 2005 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (955x620, 61 KB)The traction engine Evedon Lad at Stoke Goldington in May 2005 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
Ransomes, Sims and Jeffries Engineers of Ipswich were a major British agricultural machinery maker. ...
Traction engines were cumbersome and ill-suited to crossing heavy ground so their agricultural use was either "in the belt" - powering farm implements by means of a long leather belt driven by the flywheel, or in pairs dragging a plough on a cable from one side of a field to another. However, manufacturers continued to seek a solution to realise the economic benefits of direct-pull ploughing, and, particularly in North America, this led to the development of the steam tractor. World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ...
It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into traction engine. ...
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History
The earliest mobile steam engine is thought to have been invented by Nicolas Cugnot who demonstrated an engine for hauling artillery at the Paris arsenal on October 23, 1769. Unfortunately the idea was discredited when a similar engine ran into a brick wall during a demonstration in Paris. Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot (25 September 1725 - 2 October 1804) was a French inventor who built what may have been the worlds first self-propelled mechanical vehicle or automobile. ...
October 23 is the 296th day of the year (297th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
1769 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...
The traction engine, in the form recognisable today, developed from an experiment in 1859 when Aveling and Porter modified a Clayton and Shuttleworth portable engine, which had to be hauled from job to job by horses, into a self-propelled one. The alteration was made by fitting a long driving chain between the crankshaft and the rear axle, and this set the basic design for the next 60-odd years. 1859 (MDCCCLIX) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar). ...
Aveling & Porter engine Margaret Aveling and Porter railway engine for industrial use. ...
All types of traction engines have now been superseded by internal combustion engine -powered equivalents. A colorized automobile engine The internal combustion engine is a heat engine in which the burning of a fuel occurs in a confined space called a combustion chamber. ...
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Operation - See: steam engine for a description of how the actual engine worked
Although the first 'traction engine' had a chain drive, it is more typical for large gears to be used to transfer the drive from the crankshaft to the rear axle. A steam engine is an external combustion heat engine that makes use of the thermal energy that exists in steam, converting it to mechanical work. ...
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Usage Traction engines saw use in a variety of roles between 1840 and 1940. They can be divided according to their use. [edit]
Portable engine Essentially a small agricultural engine that was not self-propelled. Could be towed by horses to the work site where it would drive machinery using a belt from its flywheel.
Some have two flywheels mounted on the same shaft (either side of the engine) of different diameters. This enables the farmer to select a slower speed for farmyard work (eg chopping feedstuffs) than used for threshing (for example).
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Ploughing engine  A John Fowler & Co. Ploughing Engine - the winding drum is mounted below the boiler (the 'drum' on the side is actually a hose for refilling the water tank) A distinct form of traction engine, characterised by the provision of a large diameter winding drum driven by separate gearing from the steam engine. Onto the drum a long length of wire rope was wound, which was used to haul an implement, such as a plough, across a field. A John Fowler & Co. ...
The winding drum was either mounted horizontally (below the boiler), vertically (to one side), or even concentrically, so that it encircled the boiler. The majority were under-slung (horizontal), however, and necessitated the use of an extra-long boiler to allow enough space for the drum to fit between the front and back wheels. These designs were the largest and longest traction engines to be built.
Mostly the ploughing engines worked in pairs, one on each side of the field, with the rope from each machine fastened to the implement to be hauled. The two drivers communicated by signals using the engine whistles.
A variety of implements were constructed for use with ploughing engines. The most common were the balance plough and the cultivator - ploughing and cultivating being the most physically demanding jobs to do on an arable farm. Other implements included the mole drainer, used to create an underground drainage 'pipe', and the dredger bucket, used for dredging rivers or castle moats.
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Agricultural (general purpose) engine The most common form in the countryside. They were used for hauling and as a stationary power source. Even when farmers did not own such a machine they would rely upon it from time to time. Many farms would use draft horses throughout the year, but during the harvest, threshing contractors would travel from farm to farm hauling the threshing machine which would be set up in the field and powered from the engine — a good example of the moveable stationary engine. Two pairs of Shire horses and a pair of Suffolk Punches A draft horse, draught horse, or harness horse is a large, strong horse bred for heavy work rather than speed. ...
The thrashing machine, or, in modern spelling, threshing machine, was a machine invented by Scottish mechanical engineer Andrew Meikle for use in agriculture. ...
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A smaller load hauler, under 7 tons, popular in timber trades in the UK. (Although variations were used designed for general light road haulage and showman's use.) [edit]
Road locomotive Used for haulage of heavy loads on public highways, it was not uncommon for two or even three to be coupled together to allow heavier loads to be handled. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (3008x2000, 2326 KB) I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ...
Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (3008x2000, 2326 KB) I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ...
The Great Dorset Steam Fair is an annual show featuring steam powered vehicles and machinery. ...
A particularly distinctive form was the Showman's engine. These were operated by travelling showmen both to tow fairground equipment and to power it when set up; either directly or by running a generator. These could be highly decorated and formed part of the spectacle of the fair. Some were fitted with a small crane that could be used when assembling the ride.
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- Main article: Steam roller
A distinct form of the locomotive, used for flattening ground. Designed with a single heavy roller replacing the front wheels and axle, and smooth rear wheels without strakes. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Traction engine. ...
It has been suggested that Steamroller be merged into this article or section. ...
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1745x1166, 333 KB) Summary Steam Traction engine at a fair. ...
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1745x1166, 333 KB) Summary Steam Traction engine at a fair. ...
It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Traction engine. ...
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Steam wagon
 1930 Foden C-Type 5 ton 'over-type' steam wagon
 Preserved 1931-built Sentinel DG4 'under-type' steam lorry These were the earliest steam lorries and came in two basic froms. The over-type designs resembled traction engines by having a cab built around a horizontal boiler with a round smokebox and chimney (eg Foden). And they resembled lorries in having a load-carrying body and being built around a chassis (so they cannot really be called traction engines). ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1024x768, 515 KB) Foden class C steam lorry, 1930 Foden 5 ton C Type Wagon - Margaret Works No. ...
ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1024x768, 515 KB) Foden class C steam lorry, 1930 Foden 5 ton C Type Wagon - Margaret Works No. ...
1930 Foden Steam lorry 1959 Foden S20 dropside 1967 Foden S36 flatbed Foden Trucks is a truck manufacturer. ...
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (768x1024, 755 KB) w:en:Sentinel Waggon Works DG4 registration KF 6482. ...
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (768x1024, 755 KB) w:en:Sentinel Waggon Works DG4 registration KF 6482. ...
Lorry Look up Lorry in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Can mean: A truck, in the sense of a commercial large goods vehicle. ...
1930 Foden Steam lorry 1959 Foden S20 dropside 1967 Foden S36 flatbed Foden Trucks is a truck manufacturer. ...
The under-type designs have the engine under the chassis (although the boiler remains in the cab), and generally resemble lorries rather than traction engines.
Early examples had solid tyres, but various developments, including vertical boilers, enclosed cabs and pneumatic tyres were tried by companies such as the Sentinel Waggon Works in a bid to compete with internal combustion engine -powered lorries. Sentinel Waggon Works was a British company from Shrewsbury that made steam lorries, railway shunting locomotives based on the lorries and later diesel lorries. ...
A colorized automobile engine The internal combustion engine is a heat engine in which the burning of a fuel occurs in a confined space called a combustion chamber. ...
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Modern use Although no longer used commercially, traction engines of all types continue to be maintained and preserved by enthusiastic individuals and are frequently exhibited at agricultural shows in Europe (particularly the UK), Canada and the United States. They are often a main attraction in a live steam festival. A traction engine won a modern tractor pull near Sale, Victoria, after pulling the sled to the end of the 100 meter track, up around the entire fair, through the parking lot and back to the starting line without stopping once when most tractors in the event struggled to get to the 80 meter mark. A Live Steam Festival displaying equipment ranging from small stationary engines to full-size locomotives. ...
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In fiction There also has been a traction engine featured in the Rev.W.Awdry's The Railway Series. His name is Trevor the Traction Engine, and was saved from scrap by The Vicar of Wellsworth with the help of Edward the Blue Engine. The Reverend Wilbert Vere Awdry, OBE, (June 15, 1911 – March 21, 1997) was a clergyman, railway enthusiast and childrens author, best known as the creator of Thomas the Tank Engine. ...
Map showing the railways on the fictional Island of Sodor (click to enlarge). ...
Trevor the Traction Engine is a character in Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends. ...
Reverend Charles Laxely (aka the Vicar) is a person who lives on the Island of Sodor on the Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends TV Series. ...
Edward the Blue Engine as seen in Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends. ...
From the same series, George the Steamroller is a character with a strong dislike for the railways. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...
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On television Fred Dibnah of Bolton, England was known as a National Institution for the conservation of old traction engines in Great Britain. His television series, Fred Dibnah's Made in Britain, shows him touring the United Kingdom in his rebuilt, 10 ton traction engine. Fred with his MBE Fred Dibnah MBE (29 April 1938 – 6 November 2004), born in Bolton, England was a steeplejack, engineer and eccentric who became a television personality, a cult figure and, latterly, a national institution. ...
Statistics Population: 139,403 Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: SD715095 Administration Metropolitan borough: Bolton Metropolitan county: Greater Manchester Region: North West England Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: Greater Manchester Historic county: Lancashire Services Police force: Greater Manchester Ambulance service: North West Post office and telephone...
Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Government Constitutional monarchy - Queen Queen Elizabeth II - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification - by Athelstan AD 927 Area - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK) 50,346 sq...
The word ton or tonne is derived from the Old English tunne, and ultimately from the Old French tonne, and referred originally to a large cask with a capacity of 252 wine gallons, which holds approximately 2100 pounds of water. ...
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Manufacturers [edit]
UK
 The Poyle Pump stands nearly 3 meters tall which suggests that it was intended to be used to refill the tanks of new-fangled steam traction engines. [edit] Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (447x999, 94 KB) The Poyle Pump at grid reference TQ034766 on the Bath Road between Poplar Close and Sherbourne Close in Poyle, Slough. ...
Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (447x999, 94 KB) The Poyle Pump at grid reference TQ034766 on the Bath Road between Poplar Close and Sherbourne Close in Poyle, Slough. ...
The metre, or meter (symbol: m) is the SI base unit of length. ...
Image File history File links Dampfmaschine_steam_tractor. ...
Image File history File links Dampfmaschine_steam_tractor. ...
Yorkshire [edit] A John Fowler & Co. ...
East Anglia [edit] Ransomes, Sims and Jeffries Engineers of Ipswich were a major British agricultural machinery maker. ...
Ipswich is the county town of Suffolk and a non-metropolitan district in East Anglia, England on the estuary of the River Orwell. ...
Map sources for Thetford at grid reference TL8783 Thetford is a town in the Breckland area of Norfolk, England. ...
Map sources for Leiston at grid reference TM4462 Leiston is a town in East Suffolk county in East Anglia in the United Kingdom, near Saxmundham and Aldeburgh, about 2½ miles from the seacoast. ...
Kent [edit] Aveling & Porter engine Margaret Thomas Aveling and Richard Thomas Porter entered into partnership in 1862, developed a steam engine 1865 three years later, and produced more of the machines than all the other British manufacturers combined. ...
Hampshire [edit]
Lincolnshire [edit] William Foster & Co Ltd was an agricultural machinery company based at Lincoln, UK and usually just called Fosters of Lincoln. The company was known for producing threshing machines, regarded as among the best available. ...
Marshall, Sons & Co. ...
Ruston may refer to: Ruston, Louisiana Ruston, Washington Ruston, engine builder in Lincoln, England This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...
North America - Advance-Rumely
- American Abell
- Aultman-Taylor
- Avery Co.
- Baker
- Buffalo-Pitts
- Emerson-Brantingham
- Frick
- Gaar-Scott
- Geiser
- Huber
- J.I. Case Corporation
- Keck-Gonnerman
- Minneapolis
- Nichols & Shepard
- Peerless
[edit] Case Corporation was a manufacturer of construction and agricultural equipment. ...
Massey Ferguson Limited was an historically important Canadian agricultural equipment manufacturer. ...
External links - UK Traction engine rallies
- East Anglian Traction Engine Society
- Western Minnesota Steam Threshers Reunion
- Engine Resources
- Steam Scenes Traction Engine Pictures
- National Traction Engine Trust
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See also [edit] A Live Steam Festival displaying equipment ranging from small stationary engines to full-size locomotives. ...
It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into traction engine. ...
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